G C A T T A C G G C A T genes Article Ancient DNA Resolves the History of Tetragnatha (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) Spiders on Rapa Nui Darko D. Cotoras 1,2,3,* ID , Gemma G. R. Murray 1, Joshua Kapp 1, Rosemary G. Gillespie 4, Charles Griswold 2, W. Brian Simison 3, Richard E. Green 5 and Beth Shapiro 1 ID 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA;
[email protected] (G.G.R.M.);
[email protected] (J.K.);
[email protected] (B.S.) 2 Entomology Department, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA;
[email protected] 3 Center for Comparative Genomics, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA;
[email protected] 4 Department of Environmental Science, University of California, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA;
[email protected] 5 Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: + 1-831-459-3009 Received: 11 October 2017; Accepted: 13 December 2017; Published: 21 December 2017 Abstract: Rapa Nui is one of the most remote islands in the world. As a young island, its biota is a consequence of both natural dispersals over the last ~1 million years and recent human introductions. It therefore provides an opportunity to study a unique community assemblage. Here, we extract DNA from museum-preserved and newly field-collected spiders from the genus Tetragnatha to explore their history on Rapa Nui.